Research

Research Statement:
My primary interests are the physical sciences, specifically the combination of optics, laser science, and nanotechnology. I am very interested in the small scale, and the non-intuitive interactions that take place on this level. The wide range of laser interaction with materials, from low power absorption and excitation of phonons, plasmons and fluorescence to high power ablation and two-photon processes is a field which I long had an interest and anticipate exploring. These interests have led me to the fields of nano-photonics and plasmonics. I am particularly interested in how these processes may be used as sensors for in-situ chemical and biological measurements, and hope to bring to fruition many related applications.

Research Group Involvement:
Link Research Group - Rice Univeristy (2007-Present): I developed a program to locate and track nanocars from images generated by a scanning confocal microscope. Collected data using a scanning confocal microscope and polarized photomultiplier tube setup. Coordinated upgrade of RHK (scan controller) unit, improving performance. Presently, I am working on my senior thesis; research into plasmon lifetime dependence on the environment via joint spectral amplitude and phase information.
Earth and Environmental Science - LANL (2003-Present): I worked with Dr. James TenCate performing numerous stress-strain measurements, which characterized a wide variety of rocks. I also developed a PM Space Simulator to model and extract PM spaces from the data. I also performed several non-linear dynamics experiments on various rocks.
Golding Research Group - UIUC (2008): I Developed hardware and software to capture and analyze images of petri-dishes for cell colonies, specifically in completely automated colony counting over a wide spectrum of colony sizes and dish parameters.
Siemens-Westinghouse Competition (2005): I advanced to the highest level in the Siemens Competition for Math Science and Technology with a project for non-destructive materials analysis with lasers.
Science Fair Experience (2000-2005): I performed independent research in high school, consisting of using a homebuilt power supply and nanosecond laser. Using this setup, investigations in laser ablation and acoustic wave generation were investigated. The later particularly for uses in non-destructive materials analysis.